Subterranean hydraulic fracturing is conducted to increase or stimulate production from a hydrocarbon well. To conduct a fracturing process, high pressures are used to pump special fracturing fluids, including some that contain “proppants”, down the well-bore and into a hydrocarbon formation to split or “fracture” the rock formation along veins or planes extending from the well-bore. Plunger pumps are commonly used in the oil and gas industry for hydraulic fracturing purposes. Plunger pumps have a fluid end and a power end that drives the fluid end. Proppants may get stuck in portions of the fluid end which may cause extreme pressure build up.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,002 to Vicars is directed to a fluid end for a high-pressure pump including a unitary body with a plurality of horizontal passages each for receiving a reciprocating plunger at one of its ends and a pressure relief valve at the other of its ends. The body is provided with a corresponding number of vertical passages each of which intersect one of the horizontal passages and contains a suction valve at its bottom and a discharge valve at its top. A suction manifold is hingedly attached to the bottom of the body to provide a flow of fluid into the body via the suction valves. A discharge passage intersects the vertical passages and receives fluid pressurized by the plungers via discharge valves and ports such from the fluid end.
The present disclosure is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems discovered by the inventors or that is known in the art.